Penrose Wolf Building · Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Rockwood
Rockwood isn’t graded for hazard risk: Rockwood has 793 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1996.
What Rockwood faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
Does Rockwood flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rockwood, from FEMA’s records.
Rockwood isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Somerset County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Rockwood
Disasters that paid out in Rockwood itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Rockwood), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan2 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
Somerset County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Rockwood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rockwood archive →Rockwood and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milford Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Black Township | — | 849 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Rockwood faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Rockwood
Does Rockwood flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Rockwood since 1996, $5K in all.
Is Rockwood in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Somerset County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rockwood?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rockwood’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Rockwood?
By FEMA money that reached Rockwood, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 2 households applied for aid, $6K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rockwood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rockwood’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.